Daniel Proctor, a suspect in his ex-wife's disapperance in Florida, was in Madison County District Court Wednesday. Proctor faces probation violation and theft charges in Madison County. (The Huntsville Times/Glenn Baeske)

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Daniel Ray Proctor, a suspect in the disappearance of his ex-wife in Florida, was denied bond this morning on unrelated charges in Madison County District Court.

Proctor, 44, faces theft and probation violation charges here, stemming from a 2009 DUI charge and the recent theft of a car and gun in Madison County.

But he's drawn potentially much more serious law enforcement scrutiny in connection with the disappearance of Amy Patterson, a Florida school teacher and former Madison County resident who has not been seen since late July.

In Florida, Lee County Sheriff's Department officials have interviewed Proctor about Patterson's disappearance, but no charges have been filed. A department spokeswoman said this afternoon that they still don't know what happened to Patterson and the investigation is ongoing.

Proctor and Patterson divorced in 1994 but were said to be living together in Fort Myers, Fla., at the time of her disappearance. The department spokeswoman said Proctor has given varying accounts of what happened to Patterson, including reportedly telling a Patterson family member she had died in a car crash.

Proctor pleaded guilty in 2009 to a DUI charge. Shortly after getting probation on that charge, he stopped reporting to his probation officer, said Madison County Assistant District Attorney Randy Dill.

The probation violation charge came into play after Proctor was arrested Sept. 5 when members of a U.S. Marshals fugitive task force found him sleeping in a stolen vehicle outside a motel in Okeechobee, Fla.

This morning District Court Judge Lynn Sherrod denied him bond on the probation violation charge and set a hearing for Oct. 26 on whether to grant the bond. Proctor did not have an attorney for his court appearance, so he will get a court-appointed attorney, who was not immediately identified.

Proctor also faces two felony theft charges for stealing a Ford Explorer and a gun in Madison County. Dill has argued he should not be granted bond on those charges because he is a flight risk. Sherrod said she will take that matter up after Proctor's attorney is in place.

Authorities in Florida and Alabama began searching for Proctor after he was named a suspect in Patterson's disappearance.